News
Statewide SAT scores showed students in public schools performed worse in all testing areas compared to last year, according to results released by the College Board this week.
This year, California public school students' writing scores decreased 5 points to 494; critical reading scores dropped 6 points to 494, and math scores dropped 6 points to 513, the California Department of Education reported.
Results by local districts are not yet available, according to Nevada County and state education officials.
Nationwide SAT reading scores for the high school class of 2011 were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995.
The College Board, which released the scores Wednesday, said the results reflect the record size and diversity of the pool of test-takers. As more students aim for college and take the exam, it tends to drag down average scores.
Meanwhile, other tests taken by more representative groups of high school students have shown reading skills holding steadier nationwide. And in the context of the 800-point test, the three-point decline in reading scores to 497 may seem little more than a blip.
Still, it's just the second time in the last two decades reading scores have fallen as much in a single year. And reading scores are now notably lower than as recently as 2005, when the national average was 508.
Average nationwide math scores for the class of 2011 fell one point to 514 and scores on the critical reading section fell two points to 489.
According to the College Board, 222,658 students — or 53 percent — of California seniors in this year's class took the test at some point during their high school careers, which is a 4 percent increase over 2010 and a 13 percent increase since 2007. Of those, 184,890 were public school SAT takers, representing 48 percent of the state's public high school graduates.
"I am pleased that more than half of California seniors took the SAT in 2010 and that the participation of minority students set a new record for our state," said State Superintendent Tom Torlakson in a statement.
When looking beyond year-to-year comparisons at longer-term trends, critical reading and mathematics scores among all California SAT takers are unchanged and writing scores increased by 1 point since 2007. Public school mean scores showed improvement since 2007, with critical reading up 2 points, mathematics up 1 point and writing scores up 3 points since 2007.
Torlakson cautioned that an increase in the participation rate may result in a drop in the mean score.
College Board officials pointed to a range of indicators that the test-taking pool has expanded nationwide, particularly among Hispanics, which is a good sign that more students are aspiring to college. For instance, roughly 27 percent of the 1.65 million test-takers last year came from a home where English was not the only language, up from 19 percent just a decade ago.
Minority students accounted for 65 percent of California's SAT takers in the class of 2011, making it the most diverse class in state history. Minority students composed 64 percent of test-takers in 2010 and 58 percent in 2007.
Nationwide the increasingly diverse group of test-takers is clearly having more trouble with reading and writing than with math. Wayne Camara, College Board vice president of research, said recent curriculum reforms that pushed math instruction may be coming at the expense of reading and writing — especially in an era when students are reading less and less at home.
“We're looking and wondering if (more) efforts in English and reading and writing would benefit” students, Camara said.
Gary Phillips, chief scientist at the American Institutes of Research, cautioned against using SAT scores as a way to measure national performance.
Overall on reading, “I think we're treading water in the long-run,” Phillips said, citing other tests like the National Assessment of Educational Progress. “In the short run, we've had a few blips in a couple directions. Based on the international comparisons, however, we're still not doing all that well.”
This report was based on an Associated Press story by Education Writer Justin Pope. You can reach him at twitter.com/jnn—pope97
To contact Staff Writer Christopher Rosacker, e-mail crosacker@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4236.
This year, California public school students' writing scores decreased 5 points to 494; critical reading scores dropped 6 points to 494, and math scores dropped 6 points to 513, the California Department of Education reported.
Results by local districts are not yet available, according to Nevada County and state education officials.
Nationwide SAT reading scores for the high school class of 2011 were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995.
The College Board, which released the scores Wednesday, said the results reflect the record size and diversity of the pool of test-takers. As more students aim for college and take the exam, it tends to drag down average scores.
Meanwhile, other tests taken by more representative groups of high school students have shown reading skills holding steadier nationwide. And in the context of the 800-point test, the three-point decline in reading scores to 497 may seem little more than a blip.
Still, it's just the second time in the last two decades reading scores have fallen as much in a single year. And reading scores are now notably lower than as recently as 2005, when the national average was 508.
Average nationwide math scores for the class of 2011 fell one point to 514 and scores on the critical reading section fell two points to 489.
According to the College Board, 222,658 students — or 53 percent — of California seniors in this year's class took the test at some point during their high school careers, which is a 4 percent increase over 2010 and a 13 percent increase since 2007. Of those, 184,890 were public school SAT takers, representing 48 percent of the state's public high school graduates.
"I am pleased that more than half of California seniors took the SAT in 2010 and that the participation of minority students set a new record for our state," said State Superintendent Tom Torlakson in a statement.
When looking beyond year-to-year comparisons at longer-term trends, critical reading and mathematics scores among all California SAT takers are unchanged and writing scores increased by 1 point since 2007. Public school mean scores showed improvement since 2007, with critical reading up 2 points, mathematics up 1 point and writing scores up 3 points since 2007.
Torlakson cautioned that an increase in the participation rate may result in a drop in the mean score.
College Board officials pointed to a range of indicators that the test-taking pool has expanded nationwide, particularly among Hispanics, which is a good sign that more students are aspiring to college. For instance, roughly 27 percent of the 1.65 million test-takers last year came from a home where English was not the only language, up from 19 percent just a decade ago.
Minority students accounted for 65 percent of California's SAT takers in the class of 2011, making it the most diverse class in state history. Minority students composed 64 percent of test-takers in 2010 and 58 percent in 2007.
Nationwide the increasingly diverse group of test-takers is clearly having more trouble with reading and writing than with math. Wayne Camara, College Board vice president of research, said recent curriculum reforms that pushed math instruction may be coming at the expense of reading and writing — especially in an era when students are reading less and less at home.
“We're looking and wondering if (more) efforts in English and reading and writing would benefit” students, Camara said.
Gary Phillips, chief scientist at the American Institutes of Research, cautioned against using SAT scores as a way to measure national performance.
Overall on reading, “I think we're treading water in the long-run,” Phillips said, citing other tests like the National Assessment of Educational Progress. “In the short run, we've had a few blips in a couple directions. Based on the international comparisons, however, we're still not doing all that well.”
This report was based on an Associated Press story by Education Writer Justin Pope. You can reach him at twitter.com/jnn—pope97
To contact Staff Writer Christopher Rosacker, e-mail crosacker@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4236.
